


Best Date Ever

by RedRowan



Category: Captain Marvel (2019), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 1980s, F/F, First Kiss, Lesbian Character of Color
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-12-06 21:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18225569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedRowan/pseuds/RedRowan
Summary: Maria and Carol have an unexpected day off.





	Best Date Ever

1988

They’re grounded for the day because of the stupid weather. 

“It’s just some wind,” Carol says, but Dr Lawson frowns and tells Carol that she is not risking a prototype because Carol decides to take on the elements.

Carol is grumpy as they change out of their flight suits, so Maria tries to make her smile.

“I still got some of that dirty rice from last night, if you want lunch,” she says. Carol loves Maria’s dirty rice, and swears it’s better the day after. “And Monica’s at Patricia’s until five. We could drive into town, see a movie?”

Carol finally grins at that.

“I think they’re still showing _Coming to America_ ,” she says.

“Great, love me some Eddie Murphy,” Maria says. “We got a date?”

“Yeah. We got a date.”

Carol insists on racing to Maria’s house. She wins (she cheats), and rubs it in Maria’s face by jumping up and down as Maria gets out of her car. Maria retaliates by blocking Carol’s car into the driveway, and Carol’s too busy gloating to notice. Instead, she wraps her arms around Maria’s shoulders, laughing and crowing.

“You cheated,” Maria says, as usual.

“A shortcut isn’t cheating!” Carol cries, right on cue.

Carol only realizes that she’s boxed in after they finish lunch, and mock-glares at Maria.

“Bitch,” she says fondly. Carol hates being a passenger.

Maria casually tosses her car keys in her hand.

“Guess I gotta drive,” she says.

Carol rolls her eyes. “We’re gonna miss the movie, the way you drive.”

“That so?”

“Yeah.”

The drive into town is forty-five minutes, legally. Maria makes it in thirty-three.

The one movie theatre in town is not showing _Coming to America_. It’s showing something called _Die Hard_ , which, from the poster, has the guy from _Moonlighting_ in it. Since there aren’t any other options, Carol and Maria shrug and buy tickets anyway. They share popcorn, and Maria pretends not to notice when their hands brush against each other as they both reach for another handful. Well, it’s not that she pretends not to notice - they playfully try to shove each other’s hands out of the way and get their handful first. What she pretends not to notice is the thrill that runs up her arm to her heart every time it happens.

_Die Hard_ turns out to be…really good. They talk about it on the drive home.

“I always thought Bruce Willis was kinda cute,” Carol says.

“Yeah,” Maria lies. “I mean, I liked _Moonlighting_. Him and Cybill Shepherd? Whoo!” Maria fans herself.

Carol chuckles. “Cybill Shepherd is cute, too.”

Maria decides not to follow that thread, the way she has not followed that thread whenever Carol does something like that. Like that time they were at a concert, and Carol literally turned around to ogle a girl in the tiniest shorts Maria had ever seen. Or the time she’d stayed in the diner for half an hour after paying to talk to the waitress. Or the time she’d seen Maria in her dress uniform, and told her she looked beautiful.

“Remember that time that guy tried to tell you you looked like Cybill Shepherd?” Maria says instead.

Carol laughs. “Oh, God, yeah! But he couldn’t remember her name?”

“Yeah! ‘Do you know that you look exactly like Sylvia Shepherd?’”

They’re still laughing as Maria parks on the curb, so that Carol can get out of her driveway. Carol puts her arm around Maria’s shoulders and leans her head against Maria’s.

“This was the best date ever,” she says.

“Yeah…” Maria breathes. “Even if there’s no kissing at the end.”

Carol’s other hand reaches up and touches Maria’s jaw, turning her head ever so slightly, and then Carol is gently pressing her lips against Maria’s.

“Who said there wouldn’t be kissing?” Carol says quietly, when she’s finished completely throwing Maria’s world into chaos. Maria can barely put two words together, and then Carol’s eyebrows furrow, and she leans back slightly. “Was that OK? I just - I love you, and I thought -“

“I love you,” Maria blurts out in a rush. “Baby, I. Love. You.” And Carol smiles, and Maria leans over to kiss her again.

It’ll be hard, she knows. There are consequences to being happy and in love, for women like them. The world makes sure of that. But for now…

Maria smiles and pulls away from Carol.

“Just a sec,” she says. She turns the key in the ignition.

“We going somewhere?” Carol says.

Maria grins, and pulls the car into the driveway, boxing in Carol’s car again.

“Nope,” she says, and she leans over to kiss the smile on Carol’s face. “Guess you’re stuck here.”

“Guess so,” Carol says.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm blog-redrowan on tumblr - come say [hello](https://blog-redrowan.tumblr.com)! I wrote a short prequel to this story that I've posted [here](https://blog-redrowan.tumblr.com/post/183679474589/best-date-ever-prequel).


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